How HR Can Get Ahead With Hiring During The Winter Months

By The Checkster Staff | March 29, 2016

Experts have long recognized that the economy is seasonal, and at least part of this seasonality is due to weather. Some industries peak in the summertime when warm weather and long days lead to increased work hours and greater demand. Other industries experience a strong winter peak, particularly as the holidays lead to an increased need for temporary employees.

So what can your company do to get ahead on your hiring during the winter months? Whether you are seeking candidates to step in during the busy holiday months or looking forward to the warmer days of spring, there are steps you can take to streamline and improve your hiring process during the winter months.

Evaluate Your Process

One of the best things HR can do to get ahead is to fully evaluate the current hiring process. How long does hiring usually take? How would you rate your quality of hire? As you analyze your methods, consider some of the strengths and weaknesses of the process. Think about ways that you could make improvements by speeding up your hiring time or improving your quality of hire.

Reconsider Your Technology

A study conducted by the Society for Human Resource Management found that 61% of HR faculty felt that technology education was a major shortcoming when it came to undergraduate HR training. Social media, pre-hire screening software and automated reference checking have introduced new tools to the talent acquisition process, and professions who neglect such technology advances may be left behind. Familiarizing yourself with this new technology and incorporating these tools into your hiring approach can ensure that you stay on the cutting edge of talent acquisition.

Assess Your Positions and Descriptions

When things are slow, it is a great time to sit down and assess job positions and requirements. Look at employees who are already succeeding in these roles and consider the skills, knowledge and behaviors that they use to perform well at their jobs. One mistake that is all too common in hiring is to write up a brief job description, post it to job sites and start interviewing candidates. If that job description is not laser focused on the knowledge, experience and abilities needed for the job, you might end up wasting a lot of time interviewing unqualified candidates or, even worse, hiring someone who is not suited for the job. Take the time to carefully evaluate each position and craft descriptions that will lead to strong applicants.

Explore Your Pre-Hire Screening Options

Pre-hire screening software can help ensure that job candidates possess the background, knowledge and attitudes that will make them successful on the job. Such screenings often involve looking at both abilities and personality traits to ensure that the candidate is not only qualified but that they will also be a good fit for the company culture. These assessments can provide objective feedback on each candidate’s talents, knowledge and characteristics so hiring managers can then quickly compare applicants and determine who would be the best fit for the position.

Analyze Your Onboarding

When looking for new talent, it is important to remember that there are candidates out there who would make great employees with the right onboarding and training. As you are creating job descriptions and interviewing applicants, do not forget to think about the potential that each candidate might have with the right professional development.

If a candidate seems perfect for the company yet lacks a few important skills, there are plenty of online course platforms that can help fill that knowledge gap. By taking a look at your current onboarding process, you can ensure that you are giving your new hires the training they need to do well on the job.

While the economy might slow down a bit during the cold months of winter, that doesn’t mean that the hiring process needs to go into hibernation. When things start to slow in HR, use the time to evaluate your hiring process including the methods and tools that you use.

What strategies do you use to get ahead on your hiring?

About The Author

As the leader in web-based talent decision tools, Checkster enables organizations to make better talent decisions.
Using the new science of collective intelligence and ubiquity of social networks to deliver fast, accurate social ratings, Checkster gives organizations certainty in new hire decisions and employee promotions.

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